Battle of Blackburn's Ford facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Battle of Blackburn's Ford |
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| Part of the American Civil War | |||||||
 Blackburn's Ford |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 United States (Army of Northeastern Virginia) |
 CSA (Confederacy) (Army of the Potomac) |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Irvin McDowell Daniel Tyler Israel B. Richardson |
P.G.T. Beauregard James Longstreet Jubal Early |
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| Strength | |||||||
| 3,000 | 5,100 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 83 | 68 | ||||||
The Battle of Blackburn's Ford happened on July 18, 1861. It was a small fight, sometimes called a skirmish. This battle took place in Virginia, a state that was part of the Confederacy. It was an early part of the Manassas campaign during the American Civil War.
Union General Irvin McDowell led his army, called the Army of Northeastern Virginia. They were marching south toward Richmond, the Confederate capital. Along the way, they met the Confederate Army of the Potomac. This Confederate army was led by General P. G. T. Beauregard.
General McDowell sent some troops from Daniel Tyler's division to check the Confederate defenses. They wanted to find the end of the Confederate battle line along Bull Run Creek. At Blackburn's Ford, the Union soldiers tried to cross the creek. But Confederate fire stopped their attack. Because the Union attack failed at Blackburn's Ford, McDowell decided to try attacking the Confederates somewhere else. This led to the much larger First Battle of Bull Run just a few days later.
Why the Battle Happened
On July 16, 1861, the Union army began its march. This army, called the Army of Northeastern Virginia, had about 35,000 soldiers. They were led by Brigadier General Irvin McDowell. The army left Washington, D.C. to fight the Confederate Army of the Potomac. The Confederates were gathered near Manassas, an important railroad hub.
The Union army moved slowly. They reached Fairfax Court House on July 17. The next day, General McDowell told his division commander, Daniel Tyler, to find a place to cross Bull Run Creek. Tyler was also told to make the Confederates think the Union army was heading straight for Manassas.
The Confederates had about 22,000 men. They were led by Brigadier General P. G. T. Beauregard. Their main force was near Bull Run Creek. Smaller groups of Confederate soldiers were spread out north of the creek. Their job was to watch the Union troops. When McDowell started his advance, these smaller Confederate groups slowly pulled back. They rejoined the main Confederate army. Beauregard thought the Union would attack on July 18 or 19 near Mitchell's Ford. He kept asking for more soldiers, especially from Joseph E. Johnston's army in the Shenandoah Valley.
The Fight at Blackburn's Ford
On July 18, General Tyler's Union troops reached Centreville. Local people told them that the Confederates had left the town. They heard that Milledge Bonham's Confederate troops had moved toward Blackburn's Ford. Tyler then marched southeast to Mitchell's Ford and Blackburn's Ford. He arrived at Blackburn's Ford around 11 a.m.
Looking across the creek, Tyler thought the road to Manassas Junction was mostly clear. But he did not see the Confederate soldiers hidden in the woods. These soldiers were part of a brigade led by James Longstreet. Tyler ordered two howitzers (a type of cannon) to fire at the Confederates he could see. These were guns from the Alexandria Artillery and the Washington Artillery. But their shots did not seem to do much damage.
So, Tyler ordered Colonel Israel B. Richardson and some of his brigade to move forward. Richardson sent part of the 1st Massachusetts Infantry toward the Confederate line. The Massachusetts regiment wore gray uniforms, which was confusing. The Confederates also wore gray uniforms. After the 1st Massachusetts, Richardson sent in other regiments: the 1st Michigan, 2nd Michigan, 3rd Michigan, and 12th New York.
The Union advance met strong resistance. Confederate soldiers from the 1st Virginia Infantry, 11th Virginia Infantry, and 17th Virginia Infantry regiments fired back. Tyler ordered the cannons to move closer to the fighting. He also sent the rest of Richardson's brigade toward the ford. The 12th New York Infantry began to retreat under heavy fire. This left the other Union soldiers, especially the 1st Massachusetts, open to Confederate fire. The Union cannons had used up most of their ammunition. So, they pulled back. During the fight, Union cannons fired about 415 shots, and Confederate cannons fired about 310.
Tyler realized that the Confederates had many soldiers at the ford. He ordered the rest of his infantry to pull back. After Richardson's brigade had left, another Union brigade arrived. This brigade was led by William T. Sherman. Sherman's soldiers faced only light shelling.
Colonel Jubal A. Early arrived with his Confederate brigade. They had marched two miles from General Beauregard's headquarters. With these extra soldiers, the Confederates won the battle. The reinforced Washington Artillery kept firing at the Union troops as they retreated. Colonel Patrick T. Moore of the 1st Virginia Infantry was badly wounded in the head during this fight. He could not serve in the field again.
General Tyler's Union division had 83 soldiers killed or wounded. The Confederates lost 68 men.
What Happened Next
Because the Union's attempt to scout the area at Blackburn's Ford failed, General McDowell changed his plan. He decided not to attack the Confederates head-on along Bull Run Creek. Instead, he decided to try crossing the creek around the Confederate left side. This was the plan he used at the First Battle of Bull Run on July 21.
The First Battle of Bull Run ended in a defeat for McDowell's Union army. However, the Confederates were also very disorganized and could not chase the Union army far. Both Longstreet and Early later said that the fight at Blackburn's Ford "helped a lot in winning the victory of the 21st." They felt it gave their soldiers confidence. Two Union soldiers from the 12th New York later received the Medal of Honor for their bravery at Blackburn's Ford.
In June 1994, the bodies of some soldiers from the 1st Massachusetts Infantry were found. They were later buried again with honor.
Today, there is a special marker at the site of the skirmish. It was placed by the Virginia Civil War Trails organization. The marker is located where the old ford used to be.
